The Divine - 9th Anniversary Bourbon Barrel Aged Brown Ale
Double Mountain Brewery & Taproom

Bottle from Boise Co-op. Wow! Barrel aging adds tons of context to this brown. Normal pour,but aroma instantly raises the game with a nice sweet, woody aroma. Taste echoes the aroma, adding more of the barrel notes, earthy, peaty, minor molasses sweetness. All browns should taste this good.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Picked up a 500 ml bottle from the Belmont Station in late August for $10.39. 2016 edition released in March.

Beer poured dark brown with a nice tan head on the initial pour.

Nose is vanilla, oak, leather, and slightly peaty - very nice!

Taste is wonderful, dark fruits with a touch of vanilla and bourbon, and slightly peaty in the finish. Hopping is sufficient to balance the sweetness.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied and smooth.

Overall i thought the brewer did an excellent job of working an imperial brown with the right amount of barrel aging for my palette (most of a year). It is not as big as FW or GI barrel aged beers but flavor wise it rates up with those guys!

 

 

 

 

 

Alright, I guess I'll be the first to review this...

L: Much darker than I expected for a brown, also the head was a mahogany brown which leads me to believe there's a bit more black malt in this than usual. Couldn't see through it unless I held my glass up to the light in my kitchen.

S: Bourbon, oak, sherry, a little chocolate and an underlying tangyness.

T: Initally, dark and bready malts, then a light wave of bourbon and vanilla with a bit of oak. On the back end there was a bit of coconut and roast.

F: Exactly how a brown ale should, but the color still throws me off.

O: It's uncommon to find bourbon barrel aged brown ales, and this did a pretty good job. It honestly looked more like a porter though, and had flavors somewhere between a porter and a brown ale. I definitely enjoyed it and am always ok with a good bourbon barrel aged beer.